Gameday: Bruins close road trip in Long Island

(Photo credit: Sharon Bradley) Tuukka Rask will get the start for the Bruins tonight and looks to stay unbeaten in regulation in his last seven games (5-0-1 last six starts).

The Boston Bruins are on their last stop of their longest road trip of the season and it will finally come to a hault tonight as they take on the New York Islanders.

Since dropping their first game on the road trip to the Buffalo Sabres, the Bruins have won three straight. The B’s will return home versus the Ottawa Senators on Thursday which will start the B’s grueling schedule where they will play 34 games in a 63 day span to end the season. They will only have one more time with a two day layoff.

Boston comes in with an 11-2-2 record and previously defeated the Islanders at TD Garden at the end of January, 4-2.

The Islanders stand at 8-10-1. The Black and Gold are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games losing both in regulation to the Buffalo Sabres. The Islanders are 4-6 in their last 10 games, but have been playing with the type of excitement Islanders fans hoped for all season long, but the B’s will certainly put them to the test tonight.

The Bruins will have a healthy lineup going into tonight, while the Isles will be without defenseman Matt Carkner, who was placed on injured reserve last week with a lower-body injury.

After the jump: lineups, more storylines, linkage and tweets of interest

Look out for Tuukka Rask. He has been very hot lately going 5-0-1 in his last six starts. During that stretch, Tuukka has not allowed more than two goals in regulation.

Also, let’s keep tabs on Nathan Horton. He had a great stretch in Florida scoring two goals and nearly netting a hat trick, but let’s see if he can carry it over on the last game of this five game road trip.

Lastly, keep an eye on Zdeno Chara. Many of you saw his miraculous goal versus the Panthers Sunday afternoon, but his defense has been picking up lately and he is playing like a top defender again. Look for “Big Z” to carry the load on defense tonight versus the Islanders.

Islanders to watch

This is a no-brainer. John Tavares has been on a tear lately and he is tied for the league lead with 13 goals, and is third in the league in points (25). The former top overall pick is delivering in 2013 for the Islanders. He just needs a little assistance.

His assistance and other player to watch is Matt Moulson. In his last three games, Moulson has three goals and three assists so the Bruins must keep these two players in check in order to escape New York with a victory.